The Mental Health Review Board (MHRB) is an independent tribunal that gives psychiatric patients of designated hospitals and the psychiatrists that work with them a fair and impartial hearing on some very specific aspects of admission and medical treatment.
The board exists to help balance some basic rights and liberties of psychiatric facility patients with their possible need for treatment that is not wanted or welcome.
The MHRB can only do the things it is specifically allowed to do by The Mental Health Act. It can review some Mental Health Act forms that:
Patients with certain kinds of health care directives made under The Health Care Directives Act can also apply to have the MHRB consider ordering a psychiatric facility to comply with the wishes included in those specific documents.
Patients whose rights are being restricted by certain forms under The Mental Health Act can apply on their own behalf, or others can make an application for them.
All applications must be made in writing on a special kind of document called a Form 18. The forms are available at the nursing desk of psychiatric units at all designated facilities. Once filled in, the application can be given to the desk to send to the MHRB. It can also be sent by regular mail or dropped off at the MHRB office.
Each MHRB hearing panel has three members. They are drawn from a group of people already appointed to the board. The panel will have:
The MHRB has some hearings automatically, even when no application has been made. These are for patients who have either:
Under the legislation, hearings are set to begin between seven to 21 days after a valid application is received by the MHRB office. The hearings often take roughly one to two hours to complete. The panel hearing a case usually makes its decisions within a few days after a hearing ends.
The MHRB is not allowed to revisit its own decisions, and it cannot have new hearings about the same thing it has already made a decision about. Parties who disagree with a decision made by the MHRB can appeal by applying to The Court of King's Bench on a question of law or fact or both. The appeal period ends 30 days after receiving the MHRB's order.